Building higher education : The tension between espoused educational values and physical infrastructure
(2025) In Higher Education- Abstract
- Through interviews with senior academic management representing 16 UK higher education institutions (HEIs), this study explores the relationship between the espoused pedagogical values focusing on student-centred learning, and the construction of large-class, fixed-seat lecture theatres. Despite the widespread promotion of student-centred, collaborative, and active learning approaches in university policy, educational strategies, and corporate literature, the physical infrastructure reflects a different set of priorities, often driven by logistical and financial considerations rather than pedagogical intent. The conceptual basis for the article is Argyris and Schön’s theory of action: a theoretical framework that distinguishes between... (More)
- Through interviews with senior academic management representing 16 UK higher education institutions (HEIs), this study explores the relationship between the espoused pedagogical values focusing on student-centred learning, and the construction of large-class, fixed-seat lecture theatres. Despite the widespread promotion of student-centred, collaborative, and active learning approaches in university policy, educational strategies, and corporate literature, the physical infrastructure reflects a different set of priorities, often driven by logistical and financial considerations rather than pedagogical intent. The conceptual basis for the article is Argyris and Schön’s theory of action: a theoretical framework that distinguishes between organisational espoused theory (what organisations say they do) and theory-in-use (what they actually do). The framework was designed to better understand how organisations produce behaviour sometimes at odds with their own values. The results of the study reveal a remarkable lack of pedagogical intentionality behind the investment in large-class auditoria. This study contributes to the discourse on the alignment between HEIs’ physical infrastructure and their educational policies, highlighting a significant gap between pedagogical ideals and the realities of the physical teaching spaces created. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/b51f031f-9bda-4220-897c-7a0ac885c71e
- author
- Loughlin, Colin LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025-02-27
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- epub
- subject
- keywords
- Theory of action, Higher education institutions, Student-centred learning, Large lecture theatres, Learning environments, Teaching spaces
- in
- Higher Education
- pages
- 18 pages
- publisher
- Springer
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85218749824
- ISSN
- 1573-174X
- DOI
- 10.1007/s10734-025-01421-3
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- b51f031f-9bda-4220-897c-7a0ac885c71e
- date added to LUP
- 2025-03-05 15:50:46
- date last changed
- 2025-04-13 04:07:09
@article{b51f031f-9bda-4220-897c-7a0ac885c71e,
abstract = {{Through interviews with senior academic management representing 16 UK higher education institutions (HEIs), this study explores the relationship between the espoused pedagogical values focusing on student-centred learning, and the construction of large-class, fixed-seat lecture theatres. Despite the widespread promotion of student-centred, collaborative, and active learning approaches in university policy, educational strategies, and corporate literature, the physical infrastructure reflects a different set of priorities, often driven by logistical and financial considerations rather than pedagogical intent. The conceptual basis for the article is Argyris and Schön’s theory of action: a theoretical framework that distinguishes between organisational espoused theory (what organisations say they do) and theory-in-use (what they actually do). The framework was designed to better understand how organisations produce behaviour sometimes at odds with their own values. The results of the study reveal a remarkable lack of pedagogical intentionality behind the investment in large-class auditoria. This study contributes to the discourse on the alignment between HEIs’ physical infrastructure and their educational policies, highlighting a significant gap between pedagogical ideals and the realities of the physical teaching spaces created.}},
author = {{Loughlin, Colin}},
issn = {{1573-174X}},
keywords = {{Theory of action; Higher education institutions; Student-centred learning; Large lecture theatres; Learning environments; Teaching spaces}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{02}},
publisher = {{Springer}},
series = {{Higher Education}},
title = {{Building higher education : The tension between espoused educational values and physical infrastructure}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/209732546/s10734-025-01421-3.pdf}},
doi = {{10.1007/s10734-025-01421-3}},
year = {{2025}},
}